IND vs ENG: Hunting for wickets comes first for Prasidh Krishna

The Hindu

7 hours ago

Prasidh Krishna has had a tough initiation into Test cricket. Having made his debut 18 months ago in the Centurion Test against South Africa, he has had a stop-start career. He has played just four matches, secured 13 wickets, leaked runs at more than five an over and lost eight months to a quadriceps injury.
Yet, there is a quiet confidence in the Indian thinktank that the 29-year-old who measures at 6'2' is a supremely viable option. The first Test against England in Leeds may not have been pretty for Prasidh, as he bowled 35 overs across two innings, conceded a whopping 210 runs and scalped five wickets.
But he is the kind of hit-the-deck bowler India has long desired, one who can generate disconcerting bounce and threaten the top-half of the bat. With Ishant Sharma no longer involved, Prasidh is seen as that bowler who can extract more from the turf. One bad match, and that too at a ground that has historically helped those who have bowled fuller, is not going to change that.
'I definitely did not bowl the lengths that I wanted,' Prasidh admitted after the five-wicket loss in Headingley. 'Not wanting to float it up is definitely one of the reasons. In the first innings, I was a little shorter than where I wanted to be. That six to eight [metre length] is ideal.
'The second innings got better because the wicket was slightly slower. I had to pitch slightly behind and then go fuller when I was trying to get a wicket.'
In the past, India has sought control and discipline from the third pacer. But in Leeds, Prasidh literally bought wickets by forcing batters into pulls and hooks, with captain Shubman Gill even coming up with customised fielding positions. The next four Tests, starting with Edgbaston from July 2, will offer more clarity on his role.
'Somebody in the team had to do it,' Prasidh said. 'If I sit back and say, 'I want to look at my numbers, what my economy is,' and not really look at the wickets... It cost me a four and a six, but Jamie Smith got out. If it means that I do that and get a wicket, I'm happy to do it.'
But deep down, Prasidh is clear about his own expectations. 'Every time I bowl, I'm definitely looking to bowl a maiden,' he stated. 'The outfield [at Headingley] was fast, the lengths, lines that I bowled were not perfect, and they took me on.
'Some of them were edges, some of them I tried bowling bouncers and ended up giving runs. I definitely would want to bring that [economy] down. I'm learning as well and it's my responsibility to get better.'
It is imperative that this happens fast as India will be significantly weakened by Jasprit Bumrah's absence in two of the four remaining Tests.
'We are learning off each other,' the lanky speedster said. 'He's [Bumrah] been talking to all of us all even before coming here. Siraj has played a lot of games, and he's going to continue.
'One thing you cannot get is experience. That you have to earn yourself, and all of us are excited. Whoever comes in, or whatever happens later, it's [going to be] an opportunity for us.'